Photo: An anti-gravity harness system that will to allow infants and children with limited mobility to walk on their own, designed by Noah Oliver, Armando Garcia Jr., Khaled Alosaimi, Eileen Baker, and Hasan Farman. Photo courtesy of Noah Oliver.

Noah Oliver is developing a mechanism that will allow individuals
with limited mobility to move freely through their homes. The 2013 graduate of Granite Hills High School will be
working on the project as a research assistant, while completing his graduate
program in Mechanical Engineering at Northern Arizona University.

Oliver has been studying mechanical engineering at NAU for
the past four years and received his bachelor’s degree this spring. For his
senior capstone project, Oliver teamed up with several other engineering
students to create an anti-gravity harness system that would allow children and
infants with limited mobility to walk on their own. After presenting the
project at an end of the year symposium, an engineering professor offered
Oliver an opportunity to expand upon this mechanism through a position as a
research assistant. Oliver
excitedly accepted the opportunity to tackle this project, which will not only
provide him with valuable hands-on experience but will also provide funding for
his graduate program.

“The idea behind it is to be able to set up this entire
system within an entire household so an adult…can use this system and traverse
their entire home by themselves and be able to go from room-to-room,” he said.
“We want to figure out how to make it easier for the user to get through each
room.”

Oliver’s passion for engineering first sparked while taking
a physics course at Granite Hills High School. “That got me interested in the
field,” he said. “I’ve always been mechanically adept and I like to know how
things are put together and how things work. I wanted more understanding. (The
class) kind of pushed me into it.”

“I really didn’t think I’d be able to get into engineering
during my senior year of high school,” he said. “I decided to go out on a limb
and try to do something I thought I’d enjoy.”

Oliver added that his time on the Granite Hills track and
cross country teams taught him valuable lessons in teamwork and time
management, which served him well in college. “(Athletics) really helped me
work with different people from different backgrounds and that has helped me to
this day. It comes up all the time in engineering classes. You get put in a
group project that who you don’t know who anybody is and you get to work with
them all semester and all year. Being able to adapt to those situations where
you can work with different people is helpful,” he said. “It was a nice
transition scheduling-wise. I know it’s a big thing transitioning to college
from high school because you don’t have that eight to two schedule every day.
Your schedule can vary so much from semester to semester that it’s hard to keep
track of yourself and be able to make sure that you’re on top of things. That
was a big help also.”

Oliver is scheduled to begin his graduate studies in
mechanical engineering at NAU this fall and is expected to graduate in 2019. He
hopes to pursue a career in developing, designing, and manufacturing devices.

Five Apple Valley High School students will have their
photography displayed at the California State Capitol this summer, after being
chosen as finalists in the LegiSchool Project’s “California Through My Eyes” photography
contest. The photos have been published on the LegiSchool
blog and will be displayed in the third floor annex of the California State
Capitol Building from June 15 through July 15.

CAMP
(Computer and Media Pathway) Academy students Gabriel Cacace, Amanda Cinco,
Makailla Muir, Arthur Nazabal and William Villarino were each selected out of
520 students from 57 schools across the state to have their photographs
featured at the Capitol. The photography contest challenged students to capture
images pertinent to California and accompany them with a brief artist
statement. A panel of judges then
narrowed down the photos to the top 12%.

“I am so
proud of my students’ hard work,” CAMP teacher Gretchen Peratt said. “In CAMP,
we teach them the variety of computer and multimedia. Some take a liking to a
specific type, while others excel at all. I love their minds and that they
always exceed my expectations through their hard work ethic, learned skills,
and commitment.”

The
LegiSchool Project is a civic education collaboration between California State
University, Sacramento, and the California State Legislature, administered by
the Center for California Studies. The Project's mission is to engage
young people in matters of public policy and state government by creating
opportunities for students and state leaders to meet and share ideas on the
problems affecting Californians. For more information visit www.csus.edu/calst/legischool_project/.

Apple Valley Unified School District announces its policy to serve nutritious meals every school day under the National School Lunch Program, School
Breakfast Program, and/or Afterschool Snack Program. Effective July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals if the household
income is less than or equal to the federal guidelines.

Free

Eligibility Scale for

Lunch, Breakfast, and Milk

Reduced-Price

Eligibility
Scale for

Lunch
and Breakfast

Household size

Year

Month

Twice Per Month

Every Two Weeks

Week

Year

Month

Twice

Per

Month

Every Two Weeks

Week

1

$ 15,678

$ 1,307

$ 654

$ 603

$ 302

$ 22,311

$ 1,860

$ 930

$ 859

$ 430

2

21,112

1,760

880

812

406

30,044

2,504

1,252

1,156

578

3

26,546

2,213

1,107

1,021

511

37,777

3,149

1,575

1,453

727

4

31,980

2,665

1,333

1,230

615

45,510

3,793

1,897

1,751

876

5

37,414

3,118

1,559

1,439

720

53,243

4,437

2,219

2,048

1,024

6

42,848

3,571

1,786

1,648

824

60,976

5,082

2,541

2,346

1,173

7

48,282

4,024

2,012

1,857

929

68,709

5,726

2,863

2,643

1,322

8

53,716

4,477

2,239

2,066

1,033

76,442

6,371

3,186

2,941

1,471

For each additional family member, add:

$ 5,434

$ 453

$ 227

$ 209

$ 105

$ 7,733

$ 645

$ 323

$ 298

$ 149

Households do not need to turn in
an application when the household receives a notification letter saying that
all children automatically qualify for free meals when any household member
receives benefits from CalFresh, CalWORKs, or FDPIR. Children who meet the
definition of foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway, and children enrolled in
their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals. Contact school
officials if any child in the household is not on the notification letter. The
household must let school officials know if they do not want to receive free or
reduced-price meals.

Meal applications are available online at family.titank12.com/KJEACE
, in school offices and at the Nutrition Office at 22974 Bear Valley Road,
Apple Valley, CA 92308. A letter informing parents or guardians of the availability
of free and reduced price meals is sent to all families in the parent
packet. Households that want to
apply for meal benefits, must fill out one application for all children in the
household. For a simple and secure method to apply, use our online application
at family.titank12.com/KJEACE. For families unable to apply online, a
paper application may be obtained at the school site or Nutrition Office. Contact
the Nutrition
Services office at 760-247-8001x336, 352, or 416 for help filling out the application. The Nutrition Office will let you know if your application is approved or
denied for free or reduced-price meals.

Households may turn in an application at any time during the school year.
If you are not eligible now, but your household income goes down, household
size goes up, or a household member starts receiving CalFresh, CalWORKs, or FDPIR,
you may turn in an application at that time. Information given on the
application will be used to determine eligibility and may be verified at any
time during the school year by school officials. The last four digits of the
Social Security number from any adult household or checking that you do not
have a Social Security number is required if you include income on the
application.

Households that receive Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits, may be eligible for free or
reduced-price meals by filling out an application.

Foster children are eligible for free meals and may be included as a
household member if the foster family chooses to also apply for the non-foster
children on the same application. Including foster children as a household
member may help the non-foster children qualify for free or reduced-price
meals. If the non-foster children are not eligible, this does not keep foster
children from receiving free meals.

Your child’s eligibility status from last school year will continue into
the new school year for up to 30 school days or until the school processes your
new application, or your child is otherwise certified for free or reduced-price
meals. After the 30 school days, your child will have to pay full price for
meals, unless the household receives a notification letter for free or
reduced-price meals. School officials do not have to send reminder or expired
eligibility notices.

If you do not agree with the decision or results of verification, you
may discuss it with school officials. You also have the right to a fair
hearing, which may be requested by calling or writing the hearing official:
Rose Stark, 22974 Bear Valley Road, Apple Valley CA 92308, 760-247-8001.

In
accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA)civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices,
and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs
are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex,
disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in
any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied
for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech
disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)
877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in
languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination,
complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:https://www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, and at any USDA office, or write a
letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information
requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or
letter to USDA by:(1) mail: U.S.
Department of
Agriculture Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400
Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2)
fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3)
email: program.intake@usda.gov.This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The USDA does not require that the full statement
be in the same font size as the text of the material, but it must be
prominently displayed in the document. The full nondiscrimination
statement cannot be modified.

On
May 18, the AVUSD Board of Trustees named Ryan Williams principal of High
Desert Premier Academy effective immediately. Williams has worked as a teacher
at HDPA since 2009 and is excited to build upon the school’s academic programs,
independent study options, extracurricular activities, and overall campus
climate.

“We’re
just pumped up for the new year,” Williams said. “It’s neat to see the staff
excited. The staff really wants to take all of the things we talked about in
our WASC accreditation process and put them into action. And that’s what’s
going to reach our kids. They need involvement and real world
application…once we show them that, they really buy in and get excited and it
effects how they live the rest of their lives.”

Along
with his dedicated team of teachers, Williams hopes to strengthen the school’s
current academic offerings and push the Victor Valley College Bridge program,
which allows high school students to receive dual credit for college courses.
The team also plans to bring ASB to the middle grades, add
additional after-school enrichment activities, and give students access to more
“real world” experiences such as field trips to local industry and job skill
training.

Williams
also hopes to continue the tradition of parent connection on campus and
encouraged families to get involved. “Our parent group has been extremely
active and we want to expand so parents who work during the day can
also be involved,” Williams said. “We’re going to have some of those parent
meetings in the evening so parents can come in a relaxed setting and have
access to the principal and be able to discuss not only their kids’ issues, but
the whole school environment.”

“My
motto is ‘find the motivator, save the student’ and that’s what it’s all
about,” he added. “We’re about finding what motivates the kids and meeting the
kids there to get them tied into their academics.”

Williams
first came to AVUSD in 1992 as a teacher at Apple Valley Middle School. During
his 25 years of experience with AVUSD, Williams has taught students in nearly
every grade between kindergarten and 12th grade. In addition to his teaching
experience, Williams also worked as an assistant principal at Vista Campana
Middle School. Prior to his career in education, Williams served in the United
States Air Force for 11 years. He received his associate’s degree at Victor
Valley College and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at California State
University San Bernardino. He has four grown sons who each graduated from AVUSD
schools.

Students at Granite Hills High School brought
a Civil Rights Exhibit to the AVUSD Educational Support Center on May 26.

The "Movement" exhibit was open for
display during the entire day, allowing staff, parents, students and community
members the opportunity to view the gallery of projects. In preparation for the
exhibit, students in Ms. Chaires and Mr. Rivera's history classes each chose a
major event, advocate, or a case related to the US Civil Rights Era, or any
other US movement in our nation's history toward establishing equality.
Students researched their topics and developed written outlines, which
eventually came to life through visual aids.

Left-Valerie Smith, Family Center Director, explains the plans for the garden renovation, which include a greenhouse and a water efficient irrigation system.

Right-Students in Ms. Phillips' class participate in the "ground breaking".

On
May 23, students, teachers, administrators, and community partners gathered to
celebrate the scheduled renovation of the Yucca Loma School Garden at a special
Ground Breaking Ceremony. The brief ceremony was led by Valerie Smith, Paul Swick
Family Center Director at Yucca Loma Elementary School, and was attended by
Principal Rey Rodriguez, future Principal Marcos Clark, Superintendent Tom
Hoegerman, Director of AVUSD Facilities and Maintenance Jim Hopper, Tony Penna
and Norma Armenta of Liberty Utilities, Rafael Velasco of Contemporary
Landscaping, parent volunteer Jen Waite, and Ms. Phillips’ first grade class.

Smith
opened the ceremony by recognizing Mojave Water Agency, Liberty Utilities,
Contemporary Landscaping, and the students, staff, and parents at Yucca Loma
for helping to make this project possible. Following the opening remarks,
students were able to participate in the “ground breaking” by digging in a
designated sandbox with plastic garden shovels.

The
renovations were made possible through funding provided by Mojave Water Agency,
in partnership with Liberty Utilities. The renovation includes a green house
and water efficient irrigation, and will allow the school to grow additional
foods for school families while simultaneously providing a water efficient
environment in which to grow them. The renovations are scheduled to begin May
30 and are projected to be complete by the end of June 2017.

“The Yucca
Loma School Garden has been a wonderful place for our community to gather, learn,
exercise, and receive access to healthy foods, and we are so excited to see
that impact grow even larger with this renovation,” said Kristin Hernandez,
AVUSD Public Information Officer. “We would like to thank our community
partners for their support and their generosity, which will allow for us to
serve even more families while conserving more water.”

“Liberty
Utilities Apple Valley is proud to support the Yucca Loma Elementary School
Garden expansion,” said Norma Armenta, Conservation Specialist with Liberty
Utilities. “The garden will serve students, parents and the community in
many ways including as a venue for hosting educational workshops on how to
create a garden and teaching the importance of sustainability and using water
responsibly. In addition, the garden’s harvest will be shared with the school’s
families for healthy eating.”

The
Yucca Loma Garden was created 10 years ago in an attempt to encourage healthy
eating and provide nutritious food for families in need. Since then, the garden
has expanded to serve families from schools across the district and has become
a popular location for family events, nutrition education, and physical
activity classes.

“School-based
projects are so important,” said Kimberly Cox, Mojave Water Agency Board
President. “Teaching young students the natural beauty of native plants while
teaching water conservation prepares the next generation to be good water
stewards.”

SHIRLEY RICHARD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS 2017

Last night’s Board Meeting focused on the achievements of
the Apple Valley’s students throughout the 2016-2017 school year. The Board of
Trustees was joined by district and school administrators to recognize students
for accomplishments related to robotics, environmental science, SkillsUSA,
History Day, HOSA, Future Farmers of America, Academic Pentathlon, and the
County Science Fair.

County Science Fair participants from Sitting Bull Academy and Yucca Loma Elementary. Students pictured were selected to complete at the county-wide competition after being selected from their schools to showcase their projects at the district-wide science fair.

HOSA students from Apple Valley High School. Each of the students pictured received an award or special recognition at the Cal HOSA 2017 State Leadership Competition and three will advance to Nationals.

Apple Valley High School's SkillsUSA competitors. All students pictured received Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards. Two students will advance to Nationals this summer.

Arthur is one part of the six-member Chapter Business Team that will represent Granite Hills High School at SkillsUSA Nationals this summer.

The public is invited to attend public hearings at 6:00
p.m., on Thursday, June 1, 2017 in Conference Room A of the Educational Support
Center at 12555 Navajo Road, Apple Valley.

The purpose of public hearings is to solicit the recommendations
and comments of the public regarding:

· The actions and
expenditures proposed to be included in the Local Control Accountability Plan
(LCAP) for Apple Valley Unified School District.

· The actions and expenditures
proposed for the use of the Educator Effectiveness Grant.

· The actions and expenditures
proposed for the use of the College Readiness Block Grant Fund.

· The request for the State
Board of Education to consider a waiver of Education Code 35330.

1-10 of 88

Apple Valley Unified School District is committed to ensuring that all materials on this web site are accessible to students, staff, and the general public. If you experience difficulty with the accessibility of any pages or documents, please request materials in an alternate format by contacting

Kristin Hernandez at kristin_hernandez@avusd.org or at 760-247-8001. For more information regarding our efforts in providing an accessible website, please visit www.avusd.org/webaccessibility. Thank you for your patience as we reconstruct sections of our site to be more accessible to all users.